


Demi-god's Grief

by PuellaPulchra



Series: Olympian Pain [2]
Category: The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: Anger, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Self-Hatred
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-05
Updated: 2019-09-25
Packaged: 2020-04-08 09:07:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19104031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PuellaPulchra/pseuds/PuellaPulchra
Summary: After the Olympians react to everything Apollo had done to keep his friends alive, the Demi-gods's now have to deal with the fact that Jason, their friend, brother, comrade, praetor, and/or lover, is dead.





	1. Chapter 1

**Jason**

He knew he was going to die. 

As he fought Caligula, he knew that eventually he would tire, he would slip up he would make a mistake and Caligula would kill him. 

He knew that he would die the moment Apollo had pulled him out of class, that that day was going to be his last day. 

It had to be 

Piper’s life depended on it. 

So he blew apart the Venti. He fought Caligula as hard as he could, gave Apollo and Meg and…

and Piper

Time to escape. 

He had fallen off of Tempest, arrows flying all around. 

He looked to Apollo. Apollo had to get out, get Meg and Piper out. He tried to speak but he had no idea if Apollo heard him.  “Get out of here! Go! GO! Remember!” He called to Apollo. _Remember, remember your humanity, remember this sacrifice._ He thought. 

He remembered feeling something sharp pass through his back and then… he knew no more.


	2. Piper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Piper and Tristan move to Oklahoma Piper slips away into her room. Tristan enters her room and tries to console his daughter.

Piper sat on her bed, tears rolling down her cheeks.

 _It’s my fault_. Piper thought. _If I had died Jason would still be here._

Piper clenched her fists and lied down on her bed, as she broke down crying.

She was so upset and Mad. At Apollo for asking them to go on the stupid quest, at Aphrodite for stopping Ares from helping Jason.

At… At herself, for not dying like she should have.

The door opened and she saw her father looking at her. They hadn’t said much on the car ride over to Oklahoma. Tristan had tried to get her to talk, but Piper hadn’t been able to say much, her mind to preoccupied with the events of the previous week.

Leo had come along. Piper had given him an awkward hug and ordered him to keep in touch. Leo had promised to do so, and after ascertaining that she would call him if _anything_ was wrong. He had taken off in Festus

After they had finished unpacking, Piper had slipped away to her bedroom.

Piper thought that her father would still be downstairs, but no instead he was checking on her.

“Can I come in?” He asked.

Piper didn’t say anything. She wanted her father to leave. But she also didn’t want to be alone.

So, she just shrugged.

Tristan stepped in and closed the door softly. “Are you ok?”

Piper shook her head. “It’s all my fault.” She said. “I should have stopped him. When I found out how dangerous it would be, I should have told him ‘No’”

“Oh no sweetie” Her father said. “No, Piper he made his choice. That’s not your fault.”

“I should have done more.”

“I’m sure you did everything you could.”

 _Everything except die._ Piper didn’t say anything that though. Her father wouldn’t understand. Couldn’t understand. She couldn’t tell him the truth. She had seen what the truth had done to her father.

“I miss him” Piper said. “I miss him so much.”

Her father rubbed her shoulder. “I know.”

“I don’t know how to…”

“Survive?” Tristan sighed. Piper paused before nodding.

“I understand. I felt the same way when grampa died.”

Piper sat up and turned to Tristan. “How did you handle it?”

“I felt guilty too”

Piper shook her head. “But it wasn’t your fault, you didn’t have the money-”

“I know” Her father said. “But that’s how I felt, and I became so desperate to _never_ be in that situation again, I missed most of _your_ childhood.”

Piper looked down.

“It’s not your fault Jason died. He made a choice. Neither of you knew how the day would play out.”

Piper looked down. Her father was wrong, she had been warned exactly what would happen.

“I don’t know how to survive this.”

“You will.” Her father said. “Your strong piper, Stronger than me.”

Piper shook her head. “I’m not.”

“You are. You always have been.”


	3. Leo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leo tries to prolong going back as long as possible.

**Leo**

Jason was dead.

Leo hadn’t even had a chance to see him. Let him know that everything was ok, that he wasn’t dead, He had been all prepared to get a punch in the shoulder, like everyone else had done.

Instead he arrived at Palm Springs, only to find out that Jason was gone.

He could see the pain in Piper’s eyes. The anger the self-hate. She hid it well, but Leo knew her, had known her longer then any of the other seven. He knew when she was trying to hide her emotions.

Staring at Piper, he knew he couldn’t leave her by herself. So, he insisted that he come, escort her and her father, and Millie and Coach Hedge and the baby to Oklahoma.

And…

He wasn’t ready to head back yet. Wasn’t ready to face Calypso and tell her that one of his best friends was dead.

He knew he had to tell Calypso, that keeping it from her was a bad idea, and he was going to tell her, but he just… needed a moment.

He told Apollo and Meg to take Jason home. He wasn’t angry at them. Jason was Jason, he was going to do what he thought was right. Even if it meant…

He waved back to Apollo and meg, though he wasn’t sure if they saw.

He road above lost in his own thoughts occasionally looking down at Piper, making sure she was still ok, that no monsters were attacking them. That Piper was safe.

Jason would _freak_ if he knew that Piper was in any danger.

Thankfully the ride was uneventful.

He wanted to stay, but Piper insisted she was fine. He wasn’t sure if that was true, but he had already prolonged going home for too long. Calypso would be worried.

So he got back onto Festus and rode him back home.

On the way, he passed by a forest and looked down to see a group of girls, running through the forest.

Leo suppressed a sob _Thalia_. Jason’s sister. Of course. She needed to know. She should be there for Jason’s funeral…

But would Artemis even allow her to go to Jason’s funeral?

Did she even know?

Communications were down, but that didn’t mean that Artemis didn’t know. Did she know? Did she tell Thalia?

He swallowed. He didn’t know what to do.

Fortunately, the hunters made the decision for him. An arrow very nearly missed his head.

He put on a fake smile and dove down.

“Well hello ladies, how are you this fine evening.”

Every girl in the vicinity glared at him. All with the exception of Thalia who stalked forward, tears running down her cheeks.

“Do you know?” Thalia asked. “About Jason.”

Leo nodded. “Yeah, I found out yesterday.”

Thalia’s eyes closed. “So, it’s true?”

Leo could only nod. “I’m sorry.”

Electricity sparked from her fingers as tears fell from her eyes. “What happened with his body.”

“Apollo and Meg” Thunder cracked overhead when he mentioned Apollo’s name. “Took him to knew Rome.

“My Lady” Thalia said without turning around. “Please.”

A young girl of around twelve stepped forward, her hair a dark auburn. “Thank you, young son of Hephaestus, you may go.”

Leo wanted to argue, but he was already late enough. He couldn’t afford anymore detours. So he bowed once. Gave Thalia a look of regret and fled into the sky.

\---       

Calypso was waiting for him when he got back. She smiled and gave him a kiss.

“I’m making great strides in my magic” She said. Then her smile fell. “Leo”

It was no use. She touched his arm and broke down crying in her arms.

“Jason’s gone.” Leo said. “He’s dead.”

Calypso’s hold tightened and for several minutes, her grip on him was the only thing that kept him grounded.  


	4. Thalia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thalia visits to pay respects to her brother.

Thalia had begged Artemis, to at least let her see her brother’s funeral. Artemis had been hesitant, but Thalia had refused to back down. Insisted that she would leave anyway, with or without Artemis’s permission.

She had fully expected Artemis to take away her gifts. To tell her that if she left, Artemis would no longer consider her a huntress.

At that moment Thalia no longer cared.

But Artemis allowed her to leave the hunt. Allowed her to go see her brother’s funeral. Artemis had given her a few provisions, including a couple of beads that would allow her to be transported back to the hunt when she was ready to rejoin them.

Artemis had insisted that she take one of the hunters with her. That she would need someone there. Thalia hadn’t cared, so Artemis sent Iphigenia with her, one of the more levelheaded hunters.

Artemis smiled at her sadly before waving her hand, and Thalia and Iphigenia were transported to Camp Jupiter.

—        

Thalia blinked as she appeared just outside Camp Jupiter. Iphigenia looked at her, waiting for Thalia to make the first move.

For a moment Thalia couldn’t move. Afraid of what she would find, when she asked to see her brother.

She looked at Iphigenia, dead dad, killed by her mom, then her brother killed her mother. Who was then hunted by furies for killing his mother?

Iphigenia’s brother had been told to kill his mother by Apollo as well.

Was there anything Apollo did, that didn’t make anyone’s life worse?

That hardened her resolved and she took a step, she had been Told that Apollo was escorting her brother, she needed to see him, to… _talk_ to him.

Thalia stalked forward, Iphigenia following her.

Guards rushed her, Thalia’s hands sparked with electricity, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

“Calm Down” Iphigenia insisted. “This is how we get locked away, not how we get them to let you see your brother.”

Thalia took a deep breath, and the electricity on her hands went away. “I am Thalia grace, sister Jason Grace former Preator of the twelfth legion”

Some of the guards lowered their weapons, others kept the raised. “We shall take you to the Praetor”

Thalia nodded when some of the male guards tried to grab her, she hissed. “I am a hunter of Diana, _don’t touch me_.” Iphigenia nodded beside her. The guards immediately let her go, but she kept walking beside her.

“Praetor,” The Guards said when the entered the room. Reyna was sitting on her throne, two dogs made of gold and silver were sitting alert at her heals, and in front of her was Apollo and Meg.

“You!” Thalia cried. “What do you think you’re doing here? Do you think you have the right, to handle my brother’s body after you got him killed?”

“Thalia-” Apollo tried. But Thalia’s fingers were already starting to spark.

“You should have left him alone,” Thalia said. “He was _happy_. He was finally away from all this danger, and you just _tossed_ him, back in. Do you even care? Of course, you don’t, you gods never change.”

Meg stalked forward, but Apollo placed a hand on her and shook his head Apollo didn’t say anything. He turned to Reyna, “Should I leave you to speak with Jason’s sister?”

Reyna’s eyes flicked to her, before turning back to Apollo, “We’ll talk later.” Apollo nodded once before he and his little master walked out leaving Thalia, Iphigenia and Reyna alone.

Thalia turned to Reyna. “I would like to see my brother.” She said.

Reyna paused for a moment before she nodded. “Of course.”

She stood and walked away. “He mentioned you on occasion,” Reyna said. “He never really forgot you.”

Thalia smiled a little. It was the first smile she had given in days.

Reyna walked down to the funeral home, where Jason’s body was kept, lying in wait. She stepped forward and opened the door.

Thalia entered the building and found a man flipping through a magazine at a desk. He looked up and saw Reyna.

“She wishes to see Jason,” Reyna said her head jerking in Thalia’s direction.

Thalia took a deep breath, Iphigenia put a hand on her shoulder.

The man nodded and stood, he took out his keys and lead them to another room. This room was kept colder. There was a figure lying down ahead and Thalia almost felt her throat close.

She ran ahead and stared down.

He was resting in a coffin a dark toga was wrapped around him. His hair was brushed back, glasses framed his face. Thalia looked at him and clasped his hand. “I miss you, little brother,” Thalia said tears rolling down her cheeks.

Thalia looked back at Reyna, and back at her younger brother. She could still see the scar on his lip from when he bit the stapler.

He had always been braver than her. He was the one who could fly. Not her, who was too scared of heights to try.

She broke down crying. “I’m sorry. I should have been there. I’m so sorry.” Thalia clasped his hand tightly. “Maybe if I had been there, I could have prevented this stopped Apollo from making you go,” Thalia said. “I’m so sorry.”

Neither Iphigenia nor Reyna said anything. Thalia wasn’t entirely sure if they were even still there.

She kissed her brother’s cheek. “I’m so sorry” She whispered.

—            

She met Apollo again as she was leaving the building. He was avoiding her gaze; she clutched his arm. “No,” She told him. “You don’t get to see him.”

Reyna stepped in. “Thalia, maybe you should- “

Thalia shook her head. “You said I had a say. I don’t want him anywhere near Jason.”

Iphigenia coughed. “maybe you should- “

Apollo nodded once. “if that is your wish,” He said before he turned and walked away.

—            

Thalia stayed, looking over the plans for the funeral, while Apollo was off with Reyna doing whatever he had roped her into. Iphigenia occasionally gave some advice but for the funeral but all in all, she stayed quiet.

The next she heard; Apollo was in the infirmary. Reyna was fine as far as she knew. Maybe scarred.

Thalia hadn’t honestly cared, the only reason she left her plans was out of idle curiosity.

Apollo was lying down, his eyes were closed, bandages covered every inch of his body. The only part of him that wasn’t covered was his chest, where a giant scar rested just beside his heart. Meg was sitting up in a bed next to his, she glared at Thalia as she walked in.

Thalia looked at it confused. “Where did he get that?”

“He doesn’t want _you_ to know,” Meg said. “Leave him alone!”

Thalia backed away. “Kind master aren’t you.”

Meg threw one of her rings at her. It transformed mid throw into a sword, Thalia ducked just before it hit her face. “What is-”

“Leave!” Meg cried.

Thalia hesitated for a minute, but Meg threw another ring at her Thalia ducked away and left before meg could toss something else.

—

“I don’t understand why she’s so protective.”

Iphigenia shrugged. “Same reason we’re so protective of Artemis?”

“Artemis didn’t send people to their deaths.” Iphigenia turned to stare at Thalia,  her dark eyes calculating.

She remembered Iphigenia’s family. Father dead, killed by the mother, mother killed by my brother on the orders of Apollo.

She clenched her fist. “You must hate Apollo too.”

Iphigenia shook her head. “No, I’d have to hate Artemis too.”

Thalia turned to Iphigenia.

Iphigenia smiled a little. “Artemis asked for my father to sacrifice me, so she would allow them to go to war. In the last moment she saved my life, but the damage was done, my mother refused to believe that I was alive, and she plotted my father’s death, killed him, and yes, Apollo sent Orestes to kill my mother, but he also protected Orestes from the Furies when they attacked him for that act. And it all started with Artemis asking my father to sacrifice me.”

Thalia hadn’t remembered that part of the myth.  

“How can you forgive her?”

Iphigenia shook her head.  “I chose too, I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life angry. And she did save my life, she did regret her actions, she told me herself.”

Thalia sighed. “I just can’t.”

Iphigenia nodded. “I understand. Just maybe hear what he has to say before you decide you hate him forever”

—            

Meg refused to leave, but something told Thalia that she needed to talk to Apollo, ask him about the scar.

“I need to talk to Apollo,” Thalia said.

Meg shook her head. “leave him alone” Meg said.

“I just want to ask him about his scar.”

“He stabbed himself in the chest to help Jason and me, what’s there to ask?” Meg said. “Are you going to mock him, because his plan failed, it already hurts him, leave him alone.”

Thalia’s looked at Meg. “What?”

“Caligula needed his essence to become the new sun god, in an attempt to bargain, Apollo threatened to kill himself so Caligula couldn’t get what he wanted. Caligula refused, he stabbed himself, Medea ran to fix him, her concentration broke and Jason broke free of the venti controlling him.”

Thalia’s eyes went to the infirmary. “What?”

Meg turned away. “So please. Leave him alone. He’s been through enough.”

Thalia paused. “tell, tell Apollo he can come to the funeral, and that, that I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

Meg didn’t say anything.

—        

The Funeral went by quickly. Lots of crying, lots of music. Thalia had been asked if she wanted his body cremated or buried. Thalia had asked for a cremation, ashes could be moved more easily if they were in an urn, and Thalia was unsure if she wanted his remains to stay in Camp Jupiter.”

They burned his body and collected his body in an urn. The presented it to Thalia who held it tightly.  

Apollo hovered in the back. When the funeral ended, he turned and left.

Thalia wanted to go after him, talk to him but what do you say after realizing you were wrong?

—        

She held the urn in her hands and stared up at the sky.

So, Apollo was braver than she thought. She couldn’t’; t believe she had had him so wrong before. Apollo? Artemis’s annoying younger brother, was about as selfless as they come? Her brother would have been so disgusted with her if she found out how she treated Apollo.

That was assuming Meg wasn’t lying of course. But something told her that Meg was being honest.

She saw Apollo ahead, apparently, the next prophecy had a stipulation of being around June, so Apollo had a bit of time off before needing to leave. He spent most of that time in the training grounds, practicing his sword fighting, and archery.

Thalia hesitated, then walked forward.

“Hey”

Apollo paused and turned glancing at her warily. “Yes?” He asked.

She paused and thought about it. She wanted to confront him about what he had done on Caligula’s ship, but she found herself incapable.

She licked her lips. “Can you fly?”

Apollo looked at her shock. “What?”

“Can, could you fly… back when you were immortal, without transforming into a bird, or a fly, or something.”

Apollo scrunched his face as though trying to remember. “I think so?”

“Think?”

Apollo looked away. “My memory hasn’t quite been the best since I was turned human.”

Thalia nodded. Apollo stared at her for a moment.

“Why?”

Thalia shrugged. “I’ve never tried it, never thought I could, then my brother revealed to me he could fly, and… I- well I- “

“It’s a mixture of faith, belief, and trust in yourself and letting yourself fall,” Apollo said. “You have to control the winds around you, and concentrate or else you’ll fall, and since your mortal, probably die”

Thalia nodded. “Thank you.”

—        

Thalia had given Iphigenia one of the beads and told her to go back to Artemis. When Iphigenia argued Thalia had said that she was better, and but had still wanted to spend some time away from the hunt. Iphigenia had nodded, had promised to explain everything to Artemis before breaking the beads.

Thalia practiced and practiced and practiced. Before it had just been a way to speak to Apollo, but now… now it felt like something she should try. A way to keep her closer to Jason.

Apollo helped, or tried, he couldn’t remember much, but what he did was helpful.

After a couple of weeks, Thalia became impatient, so she climbed a hill and looked over the city, it was high up. She could feel her heart beating so fast. She hated heights, she tried hard to avoid them, hadn’t been up so high since the quest to find Artemis years ago.

She closed her eyes and felt the wind whip around her. Stepped back and jumped.

Later she would say it was the greatest feeling in her life. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N So… yeah, hope you all like it. I did take a little from roman funerary practices. The crying women, the music, Jason wearing a dark toga. That kind of stuff. I hope I remembered it all.   
> Thalia kissing him is something I got from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_funerary_practices The closest living relative gave the deceased a kiss and closed his eyes, but Jason’s eyes were already closed. So… (Also got the ‘dark toga’ from their too.)  
> Everything else i got from here: https://www.ancient.eu/article/96/the-roman-funeral/ (I think)


	5. Reyna

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reyna does her duty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so this has had minimal edits. I’m posting this now because I wanted to post this before I read Tyrants Tomb.

 

Reyna stared at the coffin that Apollo and Meg had brought into the citadel. She knew who was inside it. The guards had told her about what Apollo and Meg had said. She wanted to look inside the coffin, half hoping half believing that she was being lied too. But she could do that later right now she needed to be the Praetor.

“I heard about Jason,” Reyna said staring at the Coffin. She motioned to the guards. “Have the body prepared for the funeral” She ordered. The guards bowed once before rolling the coffin away. Apollo and Meg watched it leave, they looked ready to follow the coffin, but Reyna needed something from them first.

“Come with me,” Reyna said. “I would hear your story”

She led them to her

Reyna led them to the Principia, where her dogs where waiting dutifully. She walked to the table and sat at the head. She could see Meg about to follow suit. But Apollo held her back.

“We have to be invited to sit.”

Meg snorted. “That’s stupid”

Apollo sighed. “When in Rome…”

Meg rolled her eyes.

Reyna cleared her throat and Apollo and Meg turned to look at her.

“Tell me everything”

So, they did. They told her about Caligula, about how they had hoped Jason could be of help. How Jason had revealed of the prophecy he had been told, how if he and Piper helped Apollo and Meg. Either he or Piper would die.

 _So, he sacrificed himself,_ Reyna thought. _Of course, he would._ She could feel herself coming apart. She clutched the armrests tightly while Apollo and Meg told her what happened.

When they got to the part when they were in the Labyrinth. They explained that they had been given notes of riddles that they had to solve. That they realized after a while that it was a prophecy.

“And what did the Prophecy say?” Reyna asked.

Apollo and Meg paused before Apollo continued to speak. “I’m so sorry” Apollo said. “But while I did come to make sure that Jason is properly laid to rest…”

“You need something from me,” Reyna said. She wanted to lash out at Apollo tell him to go to the Underworld. But she resisted and allowed him to ask.

“The prophecy we received in California stated that: _Apollo faces death in Tarquin’s Tomb unless the doorway to the soundless god is opened by”_

Apollo sighed.

Reyna narrowed her eyes. “By who”

Apollo sighed. “It appears to have said “Bellona’s Daughter”

“Appears?”

“The last part of the prophecy was a bunch of different lines that I hadn’t realized was actually an Acrostic poem, until it was pointed out.”

Reyna was a little interested. “What did these lines say?”

Apollo thought. “I can’t remember all of them… Bronze upon gold, east meets west, something about destroying a tyrant? Aid the winged. Enter strangers’ home. Regain lost glory”

Reyna nodded once or twice. “Continue”

So, they explained how Medea had shown up. How Apollo had been chained, how Medea had started to break him apart, how everyone had tried to stop her, How Herophile had insisted that Apollo had finished what was started, but all that came were incoherent lines, how they had almost lost but Piper had come in at the last moment.

When they finished Reyna stood. “Thank you,” Reyna said. “I shall think about what you have told me, and give you my answer soon”

Apollo and Meg nodded and took there leave.

Reyna collapsed back into her chair and for a long time didn’t leave her chair.

—        

Before she could give her answer, Reyna had to tell or try to tell the other 7 that Jason had grown close too.

So, she found Frank and Hazel and told them what happened. Hazel had cried, while Frank had stood still holding onto Hazel’s shoulder as she cried. Frank had thanked her for coming to tell him before Reyna had left them alone to deal with there grief.

She had tried to contact Percy and Annabeth but neither had been reachable.

Only after she had done that had she turned back to the problem presented to her. Whether or not she should help Apollo.

Reyna knew that she should. There weren’t many other daughters of Bellona at camp, none with her experience and the only other daughter of Bellona she could think of to help was the leader of the Amazons and was incapable.

Besides. After hearing how Caligula killed Jason, she wanted to help bring the Triumvirate down.

So, she went to Apollo and said that she would help. She brought them back to the Principia again and they talked. At least until Thalia and Iphigenia appeared.

Thalia yelled at Apollo, but Apollo took it in stride. Something that surprised Reyna. Instead, he left her and Thalia alone.

Thalia expressed a desire to see her brother, and so Reyna stood and walked Thalia and her companion over to where Jason’s body was being held. Reyna spoke to her, trying to make Thalia feel a little better- told her that Jason had never forgotten her, not really. By the small smile that appeared, Reyna could tell she succeeded if only a little.

When they entered the room where Jason was. Reyna and Iphigenia held back to give Thalia a moment.

When Thalia started to cry Iphigenia and Reyna turned to give Thalia a bit of privacy.

Reyna’s heart went out to Thalia. Thalia had lost her brother at such a young age and then had only been able to see him again years later. They had barely gotten to know each other before they had needed to go on their own respective quests, and then hadn’t been able to meet up again.

And now they never could.

Thalia made her way back to Jason and they walked out of the building together, just as Apollo was making his way back in.

“No,” Thalia said. “You don’t get to see him.”

Reyna tried to step in to try to get Thalia to listen first. But Thalia refused, and Reyna could not really blame her.

Instead, she just watched as Apollo left.

—        

Thalia graciously excepted the task that Reyna gave her, to prepare the funeral for Jason. Reyna stated that whatever she wanted she would receive but did ask that she remember that Jason _was_ Roman. Thalia had understood and immediately started the preparations.

With Thalia making the preparations she could help Apollo with his prophecy.

—        

They had to fight monsters in order to get to the Tyrants Tomb. In order to find the door to the silent god.

Reyna had given her power to both Apollo and Meg, to help them fight.

But then she felt something odd.

She felt guilt, and anger, coming from Meg and Apollo. That wasn’t so surprising, she had surmised as much when Apollo had delivered Jason’s coffin.

No, what surprised was the scar she could sense, near Apollo’s heart.

—        

When they had a moment of peace and Meg was asleep a couple of feet away. Reyna had asked what had happened. How he had gotten that wound.

Apollo hadn’t wanted to talk about it. Told Reyna that it didn’t matter because he had failed, that his plan hadn’t worked, and all it had done was make him immobile when it truly mattered.

“It’s just a wound from a stupid thing that happened,” Apollo said.

Reyna knew better than to push, a lot of soldiers she dealt with had wounds that they didn’t-couldn’t talk about their war wounds.

Reyna went quiet for a moment. “Does it have anything to do with Jason?” She asked.

Apollo flinched away. “I tried to help, he and Meg were trapped venti that Medea and Caligula were going to suck out my essence to be the new sun-god. So, I used that against him.

Reyna’s eyes widened. “Apollo- what did you do?”

Apollo looked away. “I threatened to kill myself.”

Reyna sat in shock; her eyes wide.

“When he refused to let Meg and Jason go, I stabbed myself and Medea’s control on the venti lessened and Jason was able to free meg and, well _you_ know the rest.

Reyna nodded slowly, but didn’t know what to say- what could you say to that?

—        

It took days before they could find the Tyrants Tomb. Apollo had immediately been sucked into the tomb; Reyna could hear some ghostly cackling from the inside.

Meg started trying to open the door, break it down but nothing she did work. Reyna stopped her and reminded her of the prophecy, that they (she) had to open the door of the silent god.

Meg hadn’t liked it, but she decided to follow Reyna anyway.

—-

Reyna had almost been unable to open the doorway to the silent god, but at the last possible moment, she had succeeded. She had broken bones and a scar along her forehead. But she succeeded.

But unfortunately, Apollo had not come out unscathed. When they finally found their way into the tomb, there was Apollo, lying in a pool of his own red blood, near death, _and not_ breathing.

Reyna had immediately started CPR, barking at Meg, to get help. For a moment Meg had just stared at Apollo unable to move.

“Meg,” Reyna said sternly already on the ground. “Go, get help.”

“Apollo,” Meg said. “I order you to stay alive.”

Reyna hadn’t waited to see if her order had worked, but when she went to breathe for Apollo, he found Apollo to be breathing – shallow and hard but breathing, nonetheless.

—                    

Reyna and Meg had to be looked at too. Turned out Reyna had accidentally broken a few ribs. Oops. Meg had a sprained arm.

Apollo, unfortunately, had needed far more extensive care and had been wheeled away the moment he had entered the hospital.

“Do you think he’ll be fine?” Meg asked.

Reyna turned to Meg. Her head was faced down, and she seemed to be fiddling with her hands.

Meg was scared. Reyna placed a hand on meg’s shoulder. “I doubt the fates would let him die without finishing his quest.” She said.

Slowly Meg nodded.

—        

Apollo awoke a few days later when Reyna had come to visit him, Apollo had already heard about her own injuries by Meg.

“You shouldn’t have risked yourself like that,” Apollo said.

“It was the only way,” Reyna said. “You could have died.”

“Your ribs could have punctured your lungs, you should have stopped,” Apollo said.

Reyna shook her head. “I did it to save your life, it’s what you did for Jason, what Jason did for you.”

Apollo snorted. “And look how _wonderfully_ that turned out for him.”

Reyna’s eyes widened, but instead of shouting, instead of telling Apollo that was uncalled for, she stopped. From an outside perspective, Apollo could be insulting Jason’s sacrifice, but Reyna had heard Apollo when he told her about his injury. She had felt his guilt and self-hate.

So, Reyna took a deep breath. “It was worth the risk,” Reyna said.

Apollo turned to Reyna his eyes wide. But Reyna was unable to continue so she quickly turned and left the room.

—        

The next time Reyna and Apollo met, it was after Apollo had been discharged from the hospital, Reyna was in her favourite place in the city, she hadn’t expected Apollo to find her.

Or perhaps he wasn’t looking, instead just looking for a place think too.

“I can leave,” He said when he found her there.

Reyna just shrugged, she didn’t want company, but she didn’t really want to be alone either.

For a long while, he just sat beside her not saying, or doing anything.

“Jason’s funeral is tomorrow,” Apollo said.

Reyna looked down. _So soon?_

Apollo didn’t say anything else after that. Just stayed quiet.

“We were inseparable” Reyna said, she could feel Apollo’s eyes on her, but she continued looking straight ahead. “Back before the giants and the Titans, back when it was just, training and nothing else, we were inseparable,” Reyna said. “We told each other _everything_ ” Reyna said. “He told me how he had vague memories of having a sister, I told him about my past, my past with my father, who I killed because of how unbalanced and dangerous he was.”

Apollo said nothing, but she had a sense that he was surprised. Reyna didn’t stop.

“He never judged me for that” Reyna said. Tears collecting in her eyes, she felt something take her hand, or maybe it was just her imagination. “Never, he _understood,_ ” She said. “He was the only person who could understand when I was angry or sad. He knew my favourite foods, my fighting styles, and I knew his favourite colour and how to counter _his_ fighting styles, when the teachers were about bust us for breaking the rules, we would cover for each other all the time. Jason would defend me, and I would defend him.”  

Reyna looked down. “When we were made co-praetor, it was hardly even a surprise. The two of us knew each other like the back of our hands.”

“Then he disappeared for months, and when I finally see him again, everything’s different. He finds he prefers camp half-blood, to our home, he wants to leave it behind.” Reyna said. “The home, he would have died for is the home he would turn away from without a second thought.”

“I doubt he saw it as that” Apollo said. “I doubt he saw it less about leaving you, and more as… branching out”

Reyna turned away.

. “I’m sure if you two had been able to contact each other, Jason would have done it every day,” Apollo said.

Reyna wasn’t too sure. “I miss him.” She said her voice cracked on the last word and she felt the tears she had been trying to hold away fall.

Apollo held her as tightly as he could. “I know, I’m sorry” He whispered.

New Chapter, if your going, to reply, please no spoilers, I'm only on chapter 4 of Tyrants Tomb.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like  
> If I do continue it’s probably going to diverge from Tyrants Tomb canon it might keep some things, but I think for the most part it's going to diverge- depends on what works for the story.   
> And if you do leave a comment or review please no Tyrants Tomb Spoilers.


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